Albie O’Connell is in his third season as an assistantcoach with the Harvard men's hockey team in 2013-14.
O’Connell works primarily with Harvard’s defensemenand special teams. In his first season with the Crimson, O'Connelldirected the nation's top power-play unit, as the Crimson convertedon 38 of 139 total chances (27.3%) and ranked eighth in combinedspecial teams. Harvard's potent power play helped the squad advanceto the ECAC Tournament finals.
O'Connell took over as an assistant coach for the Crimson afterthree years at Northeastern. He also previously coachedat Merrimack, Holy Cross, Niagara and Colby. O’Connell playedat Boston University, where he won four Beanpots and a Hockey EastChampionship and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four twice.
At Northeastern, O’Connell also served as recruitingcoordinator and helped the Huskies post a 55-44-14 record afterthey went just 22-60-15 during the previous three years. Hecontributed to the squad reaching two Beanpot finals, two HockeyEast semifinals and the 2009 NCAA tournament.
O’Connell spent one season each at Merrimack and HolyCross. At Merrimack in 2007-08, he worked primarily with theforwards and the power play while assisting in all aspects of theprogram. Under his guidance, the Warriors nearly doubled their goalscoring in the 2007-08 season and improved by nine wins. He helpedthe Crusaders reach the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals in2006-07.
Prior to Holy Cross, O’Connell spent two seasons atNiagara and one season at Colby. He was assistant coach at Niagarafrom 2004-06, helping lead the team to a 35-33-3 record over thatspan. On the ice, O’Connell worked with the forwards, defenseand power play. He also specialized in recruiting and gamepreparations. At Colby in 2003-04, O’Connell helped the teamto a 14-7-4 record and the NESCAC semifinals. He focused onday-to-day operations and recruiting.
In addition to coaching in the collegiate ranks, O’Connellhas also coached extensively with USA Hockey since 2003. He spentthe 2002-03 season serving as assistant coach for the BerkshirePrep School while also serving as the assistant dean of studentsand the student activities director.
As a player, O’Connell skated for Boston University from1995-99 and spent three seasons in pro hockey. With the TerriersO’Connell compiled career totals of 42 goals, 66 assists and108 points in 149 games. He scored nine goals and added 30 assiststo lead the team in scoring as a senior captain in 1998-99. His BUteams reached three NCAA tournaments and the 1997 nationalchampionship game.
O’Connell was a fifth-round draft pick of the New YorkIslanders in 1994. He played professional hockey for the PensacolaIce Pilots (East Coast Hockey League) in 1999-2000, BasingstokeBison (British National League) in 2000-01, AtlanticCity Boardwalk Bullies (ECHL) in 2001-02 and Cardiff Devils(BNL) in 2001-02. He was an All-Star selection in the BritishNational League. In 127 pro games, O’Connell posted 54 goalsand 78 assists for 132 points.
O’Connell graduated Boston University in 1999 with abachelor’s degree in history.
